Robert Wyatt, on Amie Street

Right now, right this very second one of the most brilliant artists of the 20th Century is available for a FREE download on Amie St. It will probably go up in price by the end of the day, but not by much. You'll probably end up paying less than $2 for an album with 17 songs.

Click on the image below to download Robert Wyatt's insane masterpiece, Comicopera. RIYL :: Scott Walker, Soft Machine, Brian Eno

Robert Wyatt, Comicopera
(Domino Recording Co., 2007)

Curious about Wyatt? Read the Wikipedia entry here. I also recommend his 1998 album, Shleep. You can thank me for introducing you later.

If you are not a member of Amie Street, why the hell not? Between it and eMusic, that's where I get the majority of my music. And their customer service is outstanding.

Help, Venice Is Sinking

Every once in a while we, the singular individual behind the keyboard, here at SIO like to help out. Not in any way constructive, mind you; we're not asking you to help eliminate poverty or curb emissions or even pick up the trash around your front yard. Nope. We're asking you to help by listening to music and exercising your pseudo-democratic right to vote--for the candidates we supply you and none others. Think of it as a local election, only a lot less fascinating.

A really great band (in this humble blogger's opinion), Venice Is Sinking, has a shot at getting onto the latest Paste Magazine CD Sampler. I'm not a huge fan of Paste Magazine because they seems a little insular and generic, but I did find this article in their latest issue and found it refreshing and worthwhile. Also, they're one of the few and dwindling print magazines left covering music, so that counts for something.

Here's the rundown; follow this link:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/heineken/

And follow the instructions. Bear in mind, you may actually have to devote about 20-25 minutes of time listening to the artists, so if you don't have that kind of time, visit when you do. Five artists will play and you rate them on a scale of one to five; one being the lowest and five being the highest. I guess whichever artist scores highest by the time voting/rating is over gets to be on the next Paste Magazine CD Sampler.

Honestly, all the artists I heard were incredibly talented and very enjoyable to listen to; some I plan to read up on and possibly purchase music from. Personally, I would like for you to vote for Venice Is Sinking because they are great people, a great band, and they deserve wide recognition, but I in no way am attempting to be the political machine that attempts to influence your vote. (Though I understand that subsconsciously this post alone may have achieved that effect.)

If you are so inclined you can order the new disc by Venice is Sinking by following this link. Or it is available for download on eMusic or Amazon. (It's on iTunes, too, but I'm still bitter about how long it took them to come around to the whole "no DRM on music" idea.)

That's it. Click, listen, rate, and enjoy.

Venice Is Sinking, AZAR
(One Percent Press, 2009)

Eat the Hype

Saw The Dark Knight yesterday and the jury's still out on it for me. Heath Ledger as The Joker was phenomenal, but the plot was just kind of so-so. I'll probably enjoy it more after it stews in my brain for a few days.

Some other items that are worth the hype but only after many listens:

Centro-matic, Dual Hawks

Not as great as Fort Recovery, but another masterpiece from one of the best bands in America. Yep. Believe it.

The Hold Steady, Stay Positive

They could've stuck with their same-old formula, but they proved they can refine it and still rock like balls.

Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago

Stark and frighteningly spare. Like listening to ghosts in an abandoned house.

Incidentally, all three of these albums are available for download at eMusic. Get them now.

Maybe this is what I have in store for me at The Hold Steady show at the Pour House in two weeks. God I hope so.